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    © Imperial War Museums 2026

    Memorial

    Leicester Arch of Remembrance

    2225.jpg

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    Current Location

    Victoria Park, Lancaster Gate, Leicester, Leicester, Leicestershire, LE1 7RH, England

    OS Grid Reference

    SK 59561 03214

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    © WMR-2225

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    Type of Memorial
    Arch
    WMR Reference Number
    2225
    Description
    Triumphal arch. Large square monumental arch stepped at top and crowned with shallow dome. Coffered barrel-vault through with lower crossing vault. Four stone flags inside: the Union Flag and those of the three Armed Services. Whole is enclosed by railings and stone piers (see file for full description) Surrounding railings and rusticated gate piers with urns forming a circle. Underneath the arches hang carved and painted stone flags. Gates have been built on the two main approaches to it.
    Inscription
    (Front face over arch): MCM XIV MCM XIX / GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST AND ON EARTH PEACE (Front face on the piers): MCM XXXIX MCM XLV (Left face): REMEMBER IN GRATITUDE TWELVE THOUSAND MEN/ OF THIS CITY AND COUNTY/ WHO FOUGHT AND DIED FOR FREEDOM./ REMEMBER ALL WHO SERVED AND STROVE/ AND THOSE WHO PATIENTLY ENDURED (Rear face): ALL THEY HOPED FOR, ALL THEY HAD, THEY GAVE/ TO SAVE MANKIND THEMSELVES THEY SCORNED TO SAVE (Right face): I WILL NOT CEASE FROM MENTAL FIGHT/ NOR SHALL MY SWORD SLEEP IN MY HAND/ TILL WE HAVE BUILT JERUSALEM/ IN ENGLAND'S GREEN AND PLEASANT LAND
    War
    First World War (1914-1918)
    Maker(s)
    • SIR EDWIN LUTYENS, Architect

    • Messrs Holloway (cf Southampton), Builder

    Costs
    £22,700
    Sponsor Type
    public
    Maintenance History
    Arch: GradeI listed (revised from Grade II* 21 June 1996); Lodges and gates onto London Rd: Grade II* listed; Gates and gate piers onto University Rd: Grade II* listed (revised from Grade II 21 June 1996. Final memorial was a revised version as insufficient funds had been raised for the original design. See file for full history of memorial.

    Ceremonies

    Unveiled

    4 July 1925

    Mrs Elizabeth Ann Butler; Mrs Annie Elizabeth Glover

    Dedicated

    4 July 1925

    Bishop of Peterborough

    Custodian
    Leicester City Council

    Components

    Arch

    Height: 20730mm

    Width: 13410mm

    Depth: 1250mm


    Made from: Stone - Portland


    Condition: Good


    Historic England

    Grade: I

    List Entry: 1074786

    • The Times 6 July 1925 p.11
    • Carter Postcard Collection
    • Leicester Mercury 25th November 2009.
    • L. P. Jenkins, The Form and Order of the Unveiling Ceremony of the Arch of Remembrance (Leicester, 1925)
    • Lutyens and the Great War by Tim Skelton & Gerald Gliddon p.170 Published:Francis Lincoln Ltd 2008, Nov London Unveiled by Mrs Elizabeth Butler ( a bereaved mother who lost four sons killed, and two wounded). Built by Messrs Holloway.
    • The Arch of Remembrance - The Order of the Ceremony (with description, illustrations, etc.) IWM Library
    • "The Arch of Remembrance." Historic England, https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1074786. Accessed 8 October 2024.